Monthly Archives: February 2016

It was business as usual for WBO junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford this past Saturday night, as he stopped a brave but outgunned Hank Lundy inside of five rounds in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,092 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

On HBO’s airwaves, Crawford was calm and calculated as always, as he brushed off a strong start by Lundy before breaking him down in the fifth with a knockdown and a barrage of punches soon afterwards that prompted referee Steve Willis to call a halt to the action.

Money Prince Duarte works with Roger Mayweather below, inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club

By Chris Robinson

When I first spotted young Money Prince Duarte out here in Las Vegas a few years ago I was instantly taken aback.

Then just three years old at the time, it was easy to tell that the young kid was a natural as he pounded on the heavy bag at the Mayweather Boxing Club. That same day I also broke bread with Prince’s driving force, his father Marcel, and so too was a seed planted.

Conor McGregor is one of sport’s most talked about figures (Photo: Instagram)

By Kyle Hutchison

A little under three years ago, I was sitting on my porch with my buddy Kevin. While watching UFC highlights on my laptop, He told me to look up “this dude Conor McGregor, he’s this crazy Irish dude who throws ridiculous kicks.” That crazy Irishman will be fighting for the lightweight title on March 5. McGregor’s unprecedented rise to the top of the UFC comes from his outlandish trash talk and his uncanny ability to back it up.

McGregor’s trash talk is legendary. The only other UFC fighters who are even on the same level are Chael Sonnen and Brock Lesnar. He utilizes that trash talk to propel himself into larger fights and draw larger crowds. He is his own perfect PR guy. You can see one of his best moments when he verbally attacks every UFC fighter at a press conference. But, trash talk is nothing unless you can back it up, and McGregor has fulfilled every one of his promises so far.

Vasquez last saw action inside of the ring this past October in Glendale, Ariz., where he clearly defeated Javier Lapizco over eight rounds to move to 8-0 with three knockouts. Still just 18 years old, Vasquez has since been honing his skills under the tutelage of respected trainer Nonito Donaire Sr., and it’s evident that he is still very much learning and blossoming as a fighter.

Zab Judah has always been a fan favorite in the Las Vegas area (Photo: Hustle Boss)

By Chris Robinson

To anyone who has been a fan of two-division world champion Zab “Super” Judah, surely the past few years have been a bit of a waiting game.

Judah (42-9, 29 KO’s) hasn’t fought since his December 2013 unanimous decision loss to Paulie Malignaggi is Brooklyn, New York.

Last year, in August, it was revealed that Judah had signed on with promoter Greg Cohen and there were soon discussions of his imminent return. Judah was slated for a matchup against Columbia’s Hevinson Herrera in September but the fight fell through when the two men got into an altercation at their weigh-in prior to their scheduled bout.

Judah was then scheduled to face former junior lightweight titleholder Juan Carlos Salgado in November in Las Vegas, but the bout was cancelled when Salgado, claiming an ankle injury, dropped out less than a week before the fight.

2015 passed and Judah didn’t perform in the ring. It was reported that he was in line for a February showcase against Virgil Green in Sloane, Iowa, but speculation of that scenario fell apart when it was revealed that Judah and Cohen had parted ways.

There are conflicting reports of why Judan and Cohen went their separate ways.

Hustle Boss caught word, via some feedback from Twitter, that it was reported by ESPN’s Dan Rafael during one of his chats that Judah had taken a $25 thousand dollar signing bonus while turning down numerous fights. It was also reported that Judah was released by Cohen and there was speculation concerning his signing bonus and whether or not it was paid back.

Team Judah have since reached out to Hustle Boss to give their side of the story, as seen below.

“Zab signed with a promoter who made certain guarantees that were to be fulfilled by December 31st. It is our belief that the promoter did not fulfill these guarantees, and so the agreement terminated at the end of December by its terms. Once we sent notice of termination, the promoter attempted to spin the events that took place between the signing and the end of the year. Although we were not liable to repay the signing bonus, we decided to repay it in exchange for a signed written release to ensure the promoter will not be able to make any false claims that he still promotes Zab. These funds were received by the promoter within hours after the promoter signed the release. Any stories out there saying anything different than this are untrue and are a malicious attack on Zab’s integrity. Also, to all of Zab’s fans, Zab never gave authorization to have his name used to promote a fight in Iowa. It is our understanding that someone signed a contract promising Zab for this fight without Zab’s knowledge and approval. As soon as we discovered this, we immediately tried to correct the situation by having Zab’s name removed from all advertising. If I bought tickets to this fight because I thought Zab was fighting, I would immediately contact the organizers for a refund. Zab was never scheduled to fight on this date in Iowa.”

Inside of Johnny Tocco’s in Las Vegas during their First Friday Exhibition Sparring Series (Photos: Hustle Boss)

By Chris Robinson

When Luis Monda told me in November 2014 that the famed Johnny Tocco’s Boxing Gym was set to embark on a new ritual with their First Friday Exhibition Sparring series, I knew instantly what he had in mind.

I also knew that his idea had a great chance to shine, as Monda, a trainer and manager at Tocco’s, is looking to introduce the talent from his gym by showcasing their sparring against other up-and-comers in the Vegas area.